I came across the word "iterative" today. What exactly is the difference between "iterative" and "reiterative"?

Also, one of the definitions in dictionary.com was "Grammar. Frequentative." What is that about?

So far as I know there is no difference in the meanings.

And the grammatical expression "frequentive" means any term that expresses or describes frequency or something continuous.

Richard English

Substituting reiterate for repeat is very common in this country among those wanting to sound clever.

Is it also wrong?

I've long assumed (and we know what THAT does!) that iterate/reiterate came from the Latin ire/iter "to go," "journey," thereby giving weak support for the now common expression, "Don't go there." However, I did what for me is the unthinkable and looked it up. To my amazement I find that it comes from "iterum," meaning "again."

Of course, it's entirely possible that "iterum" meant "travel that road again," but I'm no Latin scholar.

I was also delighted and amazed to find that "iter" has a medical meaning, that of a channel or passageway in the body. Is that in common medical use, Kalleh?

Asa, unless I am forgetting something, I don't think "iter" is often used in medicine.

So, the agreement is that "iterative" and "reiterative" have exactly the same meaning? One then wonders why they both exist.